KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro is flattered to have his name bandied about as a potential gubernatorial candidate, but he's happy right where he is, a campaign spokesman said.

Ditto, for U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-Kinderhook, said his chief of staff.

According to published reports, the two Hudson Valley officials were among five Republicans mentioned by state GOP Chairman Ed Cox during an interview with Gannett's Albany bureau as potential challengers to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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Neither man explicitly ruled out a run for the top spot in state government, but each said through spokesmen that they are focused on the job they're doing now.

"Of course it's flattering to have people acknowledge the hard work you're doing and the progress you're making, but Marc is focused on being a county executive," said Molinaro's campaign spokesman Dave Catalfamo. "He is as focused as you can get on being county executive."

Gibson's chief of staff Stephanie Valle said Tuesday that "while the congressman is clearly flattered that his name has been mentioned as a candidate for governor, his focus remains on serving the residents of the 19th District."

According to published reports, other names mentioned by Cox as possible contenders for governor are: Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Harry Wilson, a Westchester County resident who ran for state comptroller in 2010, and Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards.

Cuomo was elected state governor in 2010, garnering 62 percent of the vote in a race that also featured Republican Carl Paladino, a Buffalo-based businessman who was heavily supported by the Tea Party movement.

Although Cuomo initially received high approval ratings among voters, he's slipped in the polls as of late, particularly following his approval of the state's new tough gun control laws.

The Associated Press reported that a Quinnipiac University poll conducted in March showed Cuomo with a 55 percent approval rating among all voters, down from 74 percent in December.